Positioning device



v 1,681,970 F. E. BERTRAND POSITIONING DEVICE Filed Dec. 14. 1922 2Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 28, 1928. 1,681,970

F. E. BERTRAND POSITIONING DEVICE Filed Dec. 14. 1922 23heets-Sheet 2Fig. 2.-

Patented Aug. 28, 1928.

uurreo f srares PA'lT-ENT OFFICE;

seminars n BERTRA'ND, or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, A'SSIGNOR r UNITED anonMAOHiNERY CORPORATION, or PArEnsoN, NEW

JERSEY.

JERSEY, A ooRPoRA'rIoN or NEW POSITIONING nnvron.

Application filed December 14, 1922. Serial No. 806,879.

This invention relates to devices for positioning soles, shoes or lasts,or other articles of asymmetrical outlineand is illustrated as embodiedin an insole toe snippi-n-g machine of a well known type. The inventionhas forfone object theimprovemerit of machinesof this general characterby providing accurate means for determining -the relative angularpositions of .the work with respect to the tool which is to operatethereon The operating tool of a toe snipping machine consists of severalknife edges which are operated by the power of the machine to slit thechannel flaps and the outer lips of insoles, especially of insoles fornarrow or sharply pointed shoes, and it is important that the work beVery accurately p0- sitioned in predetermined angular relation to theknife edges. It has been customary to provide these machines with a gagefor the end of the toe of the sole, and with a pair of side gages whichaflord considerable assistance to the operator in determining thecorrect position of eachsole. There is no positive assurance thatthejoperator will position soles of different styles and sizes in anyconstant manneror that different operators will present the work in thesame '%he present invention provides for increasing the accuracy withwhich the soles are positioned by providing means for relatgivelyturning the sole and the knife or other tool to place them inpredetermined angular relation to one another. Of special uti ity in aconstruction of this character, although not necessarily so limited, isan arrangement by which each sole is engaged by apluralityof pairs. ofconnected positioning arms which are movable over a support to engagethe edges of a sole at differentdistances from the endzof the toe 'so asto eliminate all necessity of relying upon the eye of the operatorindetermining the exact angular position of each sole.

{In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a gage is-provided forthe end of a the, toe of a sole on -a support, one connected pair ofarms provided with side gages is arranged to engage opposite sides ofthe sole adjacent'to the toe gage, and a second connected pair of armsformed with side gages is arranged to engage opposite sides two pairs ofarms are operatedth rough an soleis not placed in the correctangular-position on the support it is turned on the support byengagement with the gages car ried by the arms into a definitelypredetermined angular position. Preferably the equalizing device so thatone pair may close further than the other pair according to the contourof the particular sole being 'oper-ated upon.

Other features of the invention includin' various specific constructionsand novel combinations of parts will be a parent from the followingdescription of the illustrated embodiment of my invention shown in theaccpmpanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of *so much of a: toe snipping machine asis necessary to illustrate my invention Fig. 2 is a top plan View of thesole sHppo'r t and the sole positioning means; and

Big. 3 is a perspective View of the sole support shown in Fig. 2, butwith the parts indifferent posit-ions. The toe sn-ippin'g machine showngenerally in Fig. 1 comprises a base or pedestal 10, a horizontal, solesupporting table 12 carried thereby, and a tool 14 having several knifeed 'gesand which is reciprocated toward and from work on the support 12'by an eccentric on a power shaft 16 controlled by a suitableone-revolution clutch. These parts may be, and are illustrated as being,of a. construction identical with those shown and described in UnitedStates Letters Pate'n-t No. 1,087,578, granted Feb. 17', 1914, onapplication of John B. adaway, in which are fully disclosed kniveshaving respect vely straight and V-shaped edges for catng transverse'lthe insole channel flap and 1p. The insoles to be operated on by thetool 14 are positioned with the ends of the toes aga nst a toe gage 18,'the"exact angular position of each sole beingde'termi-ned by twopairsof side gages of which one pair comp-rises rolls 20 carried byupper was 2-2 and of which the other pair is provided by the outer endsof lower arms 24. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the arms 22 are gearedtogether and are pivotally mounted on two studs 26 projecting verticallyfrom support 12. The arms 24 are also pivotally mounted at 26 and aregeared together as best shown in Fig. 2. One of the arms 22 carries adownwardly extending pin 28 and the opposite arm 24 carries an upwardlyextending pin 30, the pins 28 and 30 being engaged by opposite arms of alever 32, constituting an equalizer, pivoted at 34 on an operating slide36. Slide 36 is operated to close both sets of arms'through equalizer 32by means of a bell crank lever 38 (Fig. 1), which may be operated by'thepower of the machine or which may be connected to a suitable'treadle(not shown) by means of a treadle rod 40. The outermost position of arms22 and arms 24 is determined by engagement of one of the arms 24 with astop 42- mounted in the support 12. The arms are urged at all timestoward their outer-.

most, or normal and inoperative, position. by a coiled spring44-connected at one end to one of the arms 22 and at its opposite end toa post 46 carried by the support 12. lVhile the arms 22 are being drawnoutward by spring 44, the rolls 20 engage the arms 24 and then carrythem to their outermost position.

In operation, a sole is placed on support 12 with its too in engagementwith the toe gage lS and treadle rod is depressed to move slide 36rearwardly, that is, away from toe gage 18. Arms 22 and 24 close simultaneously untilside gages 20 or the outermost .ends of arms'24 engageopposite sides of the sole, whereupon the equalizer 32 permits one setof arms to remain stationary while the other set continues to closeuntil the sole is firmly grasped and positioned by both. sets of arms inco-operation with the toe; gage 18.

r It will be observed thateven if the sole is originally placed in anincorrect position the closing arms will operate to turn it in ahorizontal plane to bring it into such a position that twolinestransversely of the sole arbitrary distances from the end of the toewill be perpendicularly bisected by a line which is at all timesequidistant from the side gages 20 and also. from the outermost ends ofarms 24. This line may be defined asa line parallel to the work table 12which 7 would pass. through a point in the line of contact of the endsof arms 24 and another pointin the line of contact of the peripheries ofboth rolls 2( if the said ends and the said rolls respectively werebrought. intocontact by the-turning of the arms inwardly about the studs26. Since a sole is not a symmetrical object it has no true cent-erline, but for a number of operations,including toe snipping, it has beenfound convenient to regard such a perpendicular bisector as.

the center line of the sole and the above described connections operateto place this center line in exact coincidence with a line andangularly.

perpendicular to toe gage 18 and with re spect to which both pairs ofside gages arc symmetrically arranged.

More particularly a sole will, in most instances, be so placed on thesupport 12, be tween the gages of each pair. 20, 24 and against the toe.gage '18, that it lies more or less out of its correct final position,with respect to the operating tool, both laterally In such case, duringthe movement of the slide 36 to the right, as illustrated, one of theside gages 24, for example, will come into contact with the edge of thesolebefore its companion gage 24, whereupon the first of these gageswill shift the sole laterally over the support 12 into contact with saidcompanion gage, thus centering the engaged portion of the sole.Similarly, if one of the other pair of side gages 20' comes into contactwith the sole edge before the other gage of the pair it will thenlikewise shift the sole laterally. If the equalizing lever 32 were fixedimmovably to the slide 36, then, after the gages 24 had gripped thesole, but before the gages 20 had done so, further movement of the slide36 to the right would be prevented, since the gages 24 could move nofurther, with'the result that the gages 20 could notbe brought intogripping engagement with the sole. However, in the illustratedconstruction, because the lever 32 is pivoted'to the slide 36, thatlever functions as an equalizing device so that after the sole has beengripped by the gages 24, the turning of the lever 32 permits continuedmovement ofthe slide 36 until the sole is further positioned and finallygripped by the other gages 20, thus insuring that each sole, whateverits size or shape, shall be definitely positioned both laterally andangularly on the support 12 and with relation to the tool 14.

Furthermore, this positioning device will maintain the sole in thiscorrect position and resist any lateral pressure unintentionally appliedby the operator to the rear end of the sole which tends to turn it outof such correct position. I

While my invention has been described as embodied in a toe snippingmachine it is not my intention to limit its scope thereby or .otherwisethan by the terms of the appended claims. The positioning device whichhas been described above could obviously be readily modified within thespirit of my invention to be utilized in positioning lasts or shoes orother asymmetrical objects, and it is my intention that'the term solepattern as used in the claimsshall be interpreted as covering suchasymmetrical objects, as well as detached soles.

l-Iaving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A solepositioningdevice comprising,

port by engaging opposite sides of the sole at difierent distances fromone end therof. 2. A sole positioning device comprislng,

in combination, a flat, horizontal, sole support, two pairs of connectedpositioning arms of difi'erent lengths, a pair of pivot studs for saidarms projecting vertically from said support, each studconstituting afulcrum for one arm of each pair, and common actuating means for movingall of said arms over the support substantially in a horizontal plane todetermine the .position of a sole on the support.

3. A sole positioning device comprising, in combination, a gage for theend of the toe of a sole pattern, a connected pair of side gages toengage opposite sides of the sole pattern adjacent to the toe gage, asecond connected pair of side gages to engage op- JOSltG sides of thesole pattern further from the toe gage, and means including anequalizing lever for operating the side gages.

4. A toe-snipping machine comprising, in combination, a toe-snippingknife, a fiat sole supported below the knife, a gage for the toe of asole on the support, a pair of connected side gages pivoted on thesupport adjacent to the toe gage, a second pair of connected side gagesfurther from the toe support, and equalizing connections for operatingthe side gages.

5. A positioning device comprising, in combination, a. pairofgeared-together side gage arms, a pin carried by one of said arms, asecond pair of geared-together side gage arms, a .pin carried by one ofthe second pair of arms, and'an equalizer engaging said pins andoperable to close the arms.

'6. A positioning device comprising, in combination, a pair ofgeared-together side gage arms, a pin carried by one of said arms,

a second pair of geared-together side gage arms, a pin carried by one ofthe second pair of arms, an equalizer engaging said pins and operable toclose the arms, and a stop to determine the open position of the arms.

7. A sole positioning device comprising, in combination, a sole support,a plurality of pairs of connected positioning gages movable into and outof engagement with a sole upon said support, yielding means actingnormally to move the gages away from the sole, and means including anequalizing device through which all of the gages may be moved intoengagement with the sole.

8. A positioning device comprising, in combination, a work support, aplurality of pairs of connected positioning arms movable relatively tothe support to determine the position of a sole pattern on the supportboth angularly and laterally, and common actuating means for all of saidarms constructed and arranged to permit movement of one pair of armsafter the other pair has ceased movement.

9. A machine for operating upon a sole pattern comprising, incombination, a support for a sole pattern, a tool designed to operate indefinite angular relation to the pattern on said support, and means forturning the pattern on the support to place it in. predetermined angularrelation to the tool comprising two pairs of movable work engagingmembers and common actuating means through which all of said members maybe moved toward the pattern by the operator, said means including anequalizer which permits movement of one pair of said membersindependently of the other pair.

10. A machine for operating upon a sole pattern comprising, incombination, a supportfor a sole pattern, a tool designed to operate indefinite angular relation to the pattern on the support, an end gage, apair of connected side gages adjacent to the end gage, a second pair ofconnected side gages further from the end gage, and a single mechanismconstructed and arranged to be actuated by the operator and including anequalizing device for bringing all four of the side gages into grippingengagement with the sole pattern.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FREDERIC E. BERTRAND.

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,681,970. Granted August 28, 1928, to

FREDERIC E. BERTRAND.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3,line 31, claim 4, for the word "supported" read "support"; and that'thesaid Letters Patent should be read With this correction therein that thesame may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 4th day of June, A. D, 1929.

. M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

